I’ve been rejected from almost every program at this point. I’m not sure how I should go about improving my college profile, especially cause I don’t know what to major in (considering business, biology or mechanical/computer engineering). If I can’t afford to do any summer programs, what should I do? A summer job maybe?
Yes, an in-person summer job where you have to show up on time every day, deal with people in-person, and maybe get a letter from your supervisor. Also, you need a great standardized test score, so you can spend time prepping for that.
10 Likes
I’ve had no luck applying through job sites and I’ve probably applied to over 30 at this point, how do you recommend I find a job? Should I go around to small stores and ask?
Yes. You go to apply in person.
9 Likes
A summer job is a fine thing to do. And agree that going in person could work.
ETA: if money is not an issue you can look at volunteer opportunities as well.
1 Like
Absolutely…get a summer job. This is viewed well by colleges. Shows responsibility, ability to work with others, etc. PLUS you will have an employer to wrote you a reference for your next job!
1 Like
Use this summer as an opportunity to explore your interests and narrow down on what major interests you the most. If you already have a preference for one interest, you can try cold emailing professors for research positions.
Do note that most private schools will not require you to declare your major on your application (i.e. you can change your major with ease later). Public schools are a bit more rigid, as they require you to declare what college within that school you want to be admitted to (e.g. the college of engineering/business), but you can declare most majors within your college with ease as well and transfer to other colleges easily (unless you are majoring in CS).
1 Like
Grocery stores are usually hiring! And they are complex businesses where you can actually learn a lot if you pay attention.
10 Likes
A lot of pre-college programs (most) are money grabs anyway. I’m sure it’s more beneficial to work a job or do some meaningful service. You’re going to be fine!
4 Likes
I wouldn’t waste your money on those summer programs anyway.
You could either get a job or do a lot of volunteering doing something you’re passionate about.
Also, have some fun.
6 Likes
Of course get a job if you can
Job or not, use the summer to learn data analytics and basic coding. It helps nearly every major. Learn some Excel or Tableau, take at least a crash course on SQL, and a sequence of coding tutorials and canned projects for either Python or R. If you look at Indeed jobs, many entry level positions in many fields love this particular combination of tools/skills
Plenty of free resources to teach yourself on YouTube, free code camps, and cheap courses on Udemy. After each course, do a personal project or your own that you have to figure out. No better way to learn.
DM me if you want ideas
3 Likes
With such varied interests, do you/your parents know anyone in any of those fields that might be interested in a summer intern or having you do some job shadowing?
If you are good with kids, places that run after school programs may also have summer day camps, which need a lot of summer employees (YMCAs or kid oriented gyms, martial arts, art, theater, coding, some bigger private schools, etc). So far D24 has mostly been looking on indeed.com (watch out for vague “sales”/scammy listings). Lifeguarding usually pays well (needs certification). Going away to work at a residential summer camp can be a rewarding experience (some are in really nice locations if you are into the beach or outdoorsy adventure stuff).
Does your state have any arrangements with community colleges? Ours lets high school students take classes in the summer, tuition free (you have to cover fees and books but still a great deal).
2 Likes
I tried to reach out to shadow for optometry, no clinic near me is interested. There’s a hospital shadowing activity where my application is being reviewed. And yeah, I am taking classes at CC and for me they’re completely free. I’m taking cybersecurity and ethnic studies this summer. Thanks for the job suggestions! I’ll check them out.
1 Like
Go in-person to grocery stores and fast food places. They’re traditional first jobs for a reason…they’re much more open to high schoolers with no previous job experience.
Some particular places you may want to check out are listed below (with sources beneath the suggestions):
Chipotle: Employees who have at least 4 months of employment with a minimum of 15 hours a week can be reimbursed up to $5,250 annually.
McDonald’s: Employees with at least 90 days of employment and an average of 15 hours a week are eligible for up to $2500/year for part-time employees ($5250 for full-time)
Starbucks: At least 2 months of employment working 160 hours and currently working an average of 20 hours a week. Covers 100% of costs at Arizona State online or will do $1000 for other accredited institutions.
Target: Up to $5250/year
Source: Top 15 Companies That Offer Tuition Reimbursement - Scholarships360
Papa John’s: Primarily at locations that are corporate-owned franchises. But working at least 60 days for 10 hours/week can qualify.
Taco Bell: Up to $5250 available
Source: 12 Companies That Will Pay for Your College Education
You may also want to check out Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, & Lowe’s, among others.
Source: 25 Companies with College Tuition Reimbursement Programs | Get Schooled
5 Likes
One of the hardest jobs to get is your first, but it’s important to get that job. Mine started working at 14 and never had problems getting jobs (one of my 21 year olds has 4 jobs currently, including lifeguarding and reffing). If you can get a busboy or dishwashing position it can lead to server/bartender, which are great jobs in college.
3 Likes
Yeah, I’m working on it. I’ve been rejected from all the jobs I’ve applied to as well, is it a problem with my resume? I don’t have a lot on there and I’m not sure if what I put is okay lol
2 Likes
As a high school teacher on a Texas title 1 campus, I know more than half of our students have jobs. Nothing fancy, mostly Mcdonald’s, whataburger, taco bell, dominos, donut shops, etc. Chic-fil-a jobs are considered competitive. Working at Starbucks, Target, six flags, or retail stores are fancy jobs (they have co-workers who are college students). The common understanding here is that anyone who is willing to work can find work.
4 Likes
I am no expert on resumes so I will leave it to more experienced people with that, but your resume looked good to me (and now I like the summer camp job idea even more since you have some experience in that general area already).
I would lean toward not having future dates like May 2025 and change it to note that is an expected graduation date instead.
1 Like
I wouldn’t let the thirty applications thing get you down. One of my kids is a ECE/CS double major graduating from a T10 college this year, and he applied to literally hundreds of internships over the course of his college career before getting what he wanted. Don’t take it personally, just keep at it.
And use your network – people your parents know, people your friends parents know, teachers, coaches, etc. Cold emailing resumes can work, particularly with a well-written introductory email, but if you have someone in your network put in a good word it will make a lot of difference.
On your resume, I would move the “youth leader” position to the top of your experience section as that seems to be the most job-like thing you have. I’d then beef that section up with specifics – how many campers, how many hours a week, how many staff did you work with, any activities that you led, etc.
Good luck!
3 Likes
Part of the challenge of finding a summer job is being in the right place at the right time.
Locally owned businesses (diner, dry cleaners, car wash, pet groomers) might be easier than one of the big chains where there’s an online application process. You walk into your local diner to ask the owner “do you need help this summer” just as she’s trying to put together all the fulltime employees vacation requests and boom- you’re hired for 20 hours a week as a fill-in for the full-time employees who are getting time off.
So 30 applications- if all of them have been online-- you’ve barely started! Don’t let yourself get screened out- show up looking clean and tidy and ASK!
Good luck!
6 Likes